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IBM's Workplace Will Be the Future of Lotus Notes/Domino
15 November 2004
 
Tom Austin  

Gartner expects IBM's Workplace will supersede Lotus Notes/Domino. New Workplace packages aimed at solving business problems (rather than enabling generic collaboration and communication) are a welcome, new focus.






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News Analysis



Event

On 9 November 2004, IBM announced a series of Workplace offerings to accelerate customers' migration from PC computing deployments to standards-based, networked workplaces that exploit "rich client" technology. Workplace offerings include:

  • Workplace Services Express v.2.0, a new software solution for small and midsize businesses
  • A new version of WebSphere Portal (5.1)
  • Lotus Web Conferencing Service, available as a software product or service
  • Workplace Solutions, 17 new role-specific, vertical-industry business application templates
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Analysis

Three messages emanate from this announcement:

Workplace will be the future of Lotus Notes/Domino. Gartner believes that IBM has confused customers by offering overlapping product families, Lotus Notes/Domino and Workplace. IBM will not abandon Lotus Notes/Domino customers, but by 2009 the vendor plans to use a future version of Workplace as v.8 (or v.9) of Lotus Notes/Domino (0.6 probability). (This is not IBM’s official position.) We expect the heretofore separate-but-equal development paths will disappear. IBM will likely hasten to add that companies wanting some of the features of Workplace can have them today, without waiting the three to five years needed before Workplace becomes the next architectural generation of Lotus Notes/Domino.

IBM targets role-specific and vertical industry business needs with Workplace and Lotus Notes/Domino. IBM will focus on using collaboration and communication as functions that contribute to a business process, rather than as discrete products. With an eye on vertical markets, IBM likely aims to differentiate itself against Microsoft’s horizontal strategy. Both approaches will succeed, and Gartner believes that a focused capability for specific job roles should win IBM a loyal following.

IBM continues to support the "network computing" concept. Gartner believes that, via these Workplace initiatives, IBM aims to deliver the power of its rich client/server technology (Lotus Notes) at the cost (including installation and support) of accessing browser-based applications on any type of computing device. By 2009, Lotus Notes/Domino total cost of ownership will drop by 70 percent (0.6 probability).

Recommendations:

  • Lotus Notes/Domino customers: Engineering and migration risks remain. But the overall risk has dropped and the potential benefits of the Workplace architecture have risen significantly.
  • Prospective customers: IBM is focusing on the proper target — defining and addressing role-specific and industry problems. Nonetheless, beware of risks related to execution and channel conflict.

Analytical Source: Tom Austin, Gartner Research

Recommended Reading and Related Research

  • "IBM's Software Portfolio" — IBM's challenge is convincing buyers that Lotus represents more than a legacy product and has a role in delivering the user environment for future systems. By Simon Hayward
  • "IBM Proposes New Client Software" — IBM Workplace client technology includes the necessary capabilities to provide an attractive platform to users. By Simon Hayward and others

(You may need to sign in or be a Gartner client to access the documents referenced in this FirstTake.)
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